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I have an Acrosonic spinnet built back in the 1940's (serial number 340769), and I'm trying to figure out how to remove the action. The tops of the drop rods are held in place by a wooden rail which I unscrewed from the frame and removed. The top of the action is attached to the sound board by four metal posts. I unscrewed the knobs on the posts, and was then able to pull the action away from the soundboard.

I would have thought that it would be possible to lift the action out of the piano at that point, but it looks like one of the metal posts is in the way. Three of the posts are not a problem: the posts at the end of the piano are beyond the ends of the dampers, and one of the posts is above a gap in the dampers. The post above where the strings cross is the problem, because there is no gap in the dampers at that point. Because the keyboard is in front of the action, I don't think that it is possible to move the action forward far enough for the dampers to clear the post.

I've thought about removing a few of the dampers or tying them back with string, but I'd rather not improvise here. So I'd be grateful if someone would tell me the standard procedure for removing the action on this instrument.

Well, this post is quite old -- but for someone contemplating the same thing -- I'm sure the poster has probably realized his first mistake --

Removing that wooden rail -- you should put damper head blocks on the end of the stickers, on both ends and at the treble break -- you don't want those roaming loose, or you're going to have a hell of a time getting them all back in the little holes -- There might be some variation in design... but from what I can remember, the action is basically screwed into the back of the piano --

Unscrew the knobs on each end -- get the two in the center loose but don't remove them yet -- then look underneath the action and remove the screws attaching the bottom of the action to the piano -- Now go back up top, grab hold of the hammer rail with one hand and remove the other two knobs with the other -- action should lift right out.

Like I said, I don't know if this method would work in this case, as the design might have changed through the years -- but the big reason I posted is because this poster made the fatal mistake of removing that wooden rail and I wouldn't wish that on anybody...

I wish someone had been around the day, I did the same thing

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Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others....Kakuzo